Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Elizabeth Gwilt

Admitting to an oversight, the Hillsborough County School Board last week made yet more changes to the school calendar.
After the board passed a new calendar earlier this month that included 15 early release days and a last day of school that fell on a Monday, members met again to edit the calendar.
Fearing a large percentage of absences, members approved a compromise that pushes the last day of school up to a Friday, June 10.
And in response to parental backlash about the early release days, the board also slashed two from the slate, leaving 12 days in which students will depart two hours early. On the last day of school, students are dismissed 2½ hours early.
The board will also turn Feb. 11, the Florida State Fair student holiday, into a teacher workday.
Hillsborough High School sophomore Manash Ramanathan of Lutz is satisfied with the board’s decision.
“It was smart of them to move the last day to a Friday. There’s no way anyone would come to school, unless they had exams. Most people would probably leave for vacation anyway,” Ramanathan said.

Revised early release schedule
Sept. 15
Sept. 29
Oct. 13
Oct. 27
Nov. 10
Dec. 8
Jan. 12
Jan. 26
Feb. 9
Feb. 23
March 23
May 11
June 10*
[*All days two hours early except last day of school on June 10, which is 2½ hours]

By Kyle LoJacono

The stalled and long awaited extension to Collier Parkway began to move forward when the Pasco County Commission approved a contract with a replacement contractor.

Ripa & Associates was picked to complete the project that has been in limbo since the county fired WDG Construction from the job in February. The job was about 40 percent complete at that time.
The company resumed work on the road this week and is scheduled for completion in less than 200 days, according to Chris Laface, Ripa’s executive vice president.
“The project still has a long way to go,” Laface said. “We should be finished by March or April of next year.”
The project was first scheduled for completion in May. The original contract with WDG was for $4.3 million to extend Collier from where it stops a Hale Road 1.8 miles north to connect with Parkway Boulevard.
A future project will further extend Collier to connect with Ehren Cutoff, but Deborah Bolduc, program administrator for Pasco’s engineering services, said it will not be planned until 2013 or 2014 and will not be completed until at least 2015 or 2016.
WDG stopped work on the project in part because it lost some of its insurance coverage. About $2.5 million remains on the contract. Any additional cost to complete the job will be paid for by the bonding company that insured the work.
Pasco Chief Project Manager Robert Shepherd said whenever a project costs more than what was in the original contract the surety company has to pay the additional expenses. He said this protects the tax payers from having to pick up the bill down the road.
“Our attorney has to be commended for the work on this contract,” said Pasco Commission Chairwoman Pat Mulieri. “This road has a history. Originally it was to go behind the houses that face on Shinning Star Drive.
“The original alignment was a problem as the residents would have been sandwiched between two roads,” Mulieri continued. “I brought staff out to the area, met with residents and convinced staff a new alignment was needed. It will give residents a straight road to Parkway and will take buses off of Shinning Star.”
Mulieri added the road was to relieve traffic flow problems on US 41 and Parkway. It will also allow school buses an easier route getting students to and from Pine View Elementary and Pine View Middle schools located on Parkway.
Several neighborhoods, including Alto Acres, Oak Villa and Braesgate At Sable Ridge, are along Collier and zoned for both schools, according to current school boundary maps on the Pasco schools’ website.
The more direct route provided by the Collier extension will likely reduce the time and money for gas from bus routes next school year. Pasco schools spokeswoman Summer Romagnoli said bus routes are not planned until a road is completed and then only during the summer before the school year.
“The road will allow ease of traffic for people in the area,” Mulieri said. “It’s been a long time coming, but soon people will be able to take advantage of the new road.”

Collier Parkway extension
Cost: $2.5 million remaining
Length: 1.8 miles north to Parkway Boulevard
Completion date: March or April 2011
Company completing: Ripa & Associates

By B.C. Manion

Eileen Moorman suffers from fibromyalgia, a condition that is debilitating and unpredictable.
“I’m not reliable,” the Land O’ Lakes woman said. That’s why she’s so grateful for the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program.

Moorman said her mother has colon cancer and experiences confusion. Moorman relies on volunteers to take her mother to her chemotherapy treatments near the University of South Florida.
Rob Roberts, a 67-year-old retired tax manager for the Florida Department of Revenue, is one of the volunteers who give cancer patients rides to their chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
The Lutz man began volunteering about 18 months ago, after reading a notice in a newspaper seeking volunteer drivers.
“I just wanted to do something to help others,” Roberts said. “It’s quite a good feeling to know that I’m doing something for others, rather than just sitting around.”
More volunteers are needed, said Nancy Nethery, a patient services manager for the American Cancer Society.
Currently, there are nine volunteer drivers to cover Pasco County and 21 to cover Hillsborough County, Nethery said. The organization has set a goal of 50 volunteer drivers for Pasco and 75 for Hillsborough.
The program is simple, Nethery said. Volunteer drivers come to a short training session, which lasts about an hour and 15 minutes.
Then, a volunteer coordinator pairs up drivers who are willing to help with patients who need a ride.
Nethery said part of the problem in attracting volunteers is that many people assume it requires a substantial time commitment, but that’s not the case.
“When we go to recruit these volunteers, we try to make it very clear to them that we don’t have any expectations about the number of days in a week that they drive,” she said. If a volunteer can only help one morning a week, between 9 a.m. and noon, that’s fine, she said. They may also want to limit where they drive, she said. For instance, some may prefer driving only to nearby treatment centers.
The volunteers simply need to let the coordinator know when and where they can drive, and the coordinator will match them with a patient.
Volunteers do not need to worry that they will have to give up their other activities, Nethery said. The program is very flexible.

“We are very challenged right now, especially in Pasco County, to find new drivers,” she said.
The program helps reduce the stress of caregivers, Moorman said. “The only bad thing is that they need more people.”
The need is great, Nethery said.
“A lot of patients are too ill to drive. They’re too elderly to drive. At this time, right now, they’re economically challenged,” she said. Some don’t have a car, don’t have money for gas or can’t afford to register their car, she added.
When a cancer patient needs a ride, they just need to get in touch with the American Cancer Society, Nethery said. An assessment will be done to be sure that are no other means of transportation.
Patients participating in the program must be able to walk on their own, Nethery said. Volunteers use their own cars, gas and insurance. They must have a clean driving record and a smoke-free vehicle.
The next training session for volunteers is from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, 12810 USF Magnolia Drive.
If you need help, need more information or would like to volunteer please call (800) 227-2345.

By Molly McGowan

On a rainy Wednesday night, temples throughout the region — and the world — reverberated with the sounds of shofar trumpets blowing, celebrating Rosh Hashana and ushering in the fall season.
The shofar, usually made of a ram’s horn, is traditionally sounded during Rosh Hashana to serve as a wakeup call to Jewish followers, encouraging them to shatter complacency and prepare for the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish faith.

Rosh Hashana began at sundown Wednesday, Sept. 8 and Yom Kippur will begin the evening of Friday, Sept. 17.
Rabbi Jason Rosenberg of Congregation Beth Am, a reform synagogue in Tampa, says that one of the ways his congregation honors the High Holy Days is by making the special services particularly beautiful. “We welcome the new year together,” Rosenberg says, and Yom Kippur is “where we focus on ourselves and repent for the new year.”
He explains that while the Holy Day is about atonement, it is not simply a one-time chance to make up for all the mistakes one has made. The first step, he says, is to approach the people wronged and make amends. “Then being in Synagogue is the icing on the cake, a chance to work things out with God.”
Since Yom Kippur is a 25-hour period generally spent in synagogue and fasting, Congregation Beth Am will hold a service the evening of Friday, Sept. 17 and will have multiple services on Saturday, Sept. 18. As one of the holiest days of the year in the Jewish faith, Rosenberg expects a large turnout.

“It’s the busiest time of the year, for sure,” he said.
Associate Rabbi Larry Johnson of the Shoresh David Messianic Synagogue in Wesley Chapel said he, too, expects to see a large congregation for Yom Kippur services, though the heavy downpours last week thinned attendance for Rosh Hashana.
Those who did brave the rain, however, took part in a very special “Shofar Service,” where liturgical readings and prayers were punctuated by the sounds of trumpets blowing.
Johnson explains that Rosh Hashana is the “feast of trumpets” in Leviticus, and the shofars help to remind followers that the archangel will come at the sound of trumpets. “No man knows the time, or the day, or the hour,” Johnson said. “But we’re to know the season.”
Another special highlight of the service was the reading of the Torah, which was first taken out of its ark and carried through the congregation by Kelsie Buller.  He says he has never before had the privilege of carrying Shoresh David’s torah, which is over 400 years old and is originally from Poland.
Buller, who has been attending Shoresh David for the past few years, said he was “an eager and willing participant,” adding that since the congregation is small, the torah usually only comes out on High Holy Days.
Jeremiah Greenberg, who serves as cantor for the liturgical readings, comments on Mann’s perspective, saying, “The body is made of many parts. We have the same Jesus – this is just our expression.”
Rabbi Johnson said Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur can be observed and celebrated by those outside the Jewish faith, explaining that seasons and the High Holy Days were designated as specific times to remember God, and relates it to a courtship.
“God sets specific times to come and meet Him so we don’t forget. It’s like a date,” Johnson said.

By B.C. Manion

It’s midway through this year’s hurricane season and so far, Floridians have been lucky.
No major threats have forced wide-scale evacuations or caused people to board their windows, fill up their gas tanks and get out their generators.
But that doesn’t mean that residents should treat potential threats casually.

“We always fear complacency,” said Zoe Boyer, a project manager for the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes. “That’s when you get caught off-guard.”
The alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting disaster safety and property loss mitigation, offers a wealth of information aimed at helping homeowners to help themselves. Go to www.flash.org to watch how-to videos and to learn ways to better protect your home and property.
It may be too late this year to make substantial changes to fortify your home, but there are ways to reduce potential damages.
It’s a good idea to inspect your trees to see if any have insect damage, weak branches or need to be trimmed, Boyer said. “Look for anything that is dead, a crack in the trunk, insect infestation,” she advised.
If a hurricane threatens, be sure to move your lawn furniture and pool equipment into a place where it can’t become airborne and pose a danger to people or property, Boyer said.
And, just because you live inland, don’t think you’re safe from the impacts that hurricanes have, Boyer said. She lived in Orlando when Hurricane Charley hit the state and she was out of power off and on for three weeks.
The Hillsborough County Commission has proclaimed September as National Preparedness Month.
Historically, records show that September is the peak month for hurricane activity. Nov. 30 marks the end of hurricane season.
Hillsborough commissioners want to remind residents to take precautionary steps to help them weather the storm, if one should hit here:
Here are some of the county’s recommendations:
Develop a family plan. Know how you will respond should a disaster be declared or an evacuation recommendation given. Time is of the essence, so you should plan ahead so you’ll know what to do.
Assemble an emergency kit. It should include your medications, important papers (such as insurance information and personal identification), items to occupy your time (such as cards or a child’s favorite toy), and some clean clothing.
Know your evacuation zone.  There are five designated evacuation levels that are vulnerable to storm surge. Know if you live in one of these zones and have a plan for where you will go, if you need to evacuate. Be aware that everyone living in a mobile home must evacuate at all evacuation levels.
Be aware of your evacuation route. If you need to evacuate, you do not need to travel far. You just need to get outside of the evacuation zone. Make arrangements ahead of time with family members or a friend. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get out of your zone because the roads will be very busy during evacuations.
Plan to have enough food, drink and medicine to last at least three to five days after a disaster hits. The roads may be blocked by debris and water, sewer and power may be knocked out by storm damage.
If you have physical or mental conditions that require special care, be sure to pre-register for a Special Needs (Medical) Shelter, where professional medical care can be provided during the emergency.
Have a plan for your pet. A Fritz Institute Survey found that 44 percent of the people who did not evacuate for Hurricane Katrina stayed, at least in part, because they did not want to leave their pets behind. Call your county’s emergency management office to find out where the pet shelters are in your jurisdiction. There are four pet-friendly shelters in Hillsborough County.

The Institute for Business & Home Safety also offers a number of suggestions for ways that business and homeowners can prepare their property to better withstand natural disasters. For a list of ways to harden your home or business against natural disasters, go to DisasterSafety.org and click on the “Get Prepared” tab.

Volunteers to beautify Land O’ Lakes and Lutz

By Kyle LoJacono

For the last 25 years people have been participating in the International Coastal Cleanup each September to protect the planet’s waterways.
That effort transformed into on overall cleanup effort of all outdoor areas and several groups will be participating in north Hillsborough and central Pasco counties.

“It’s the largest volunteer effort to help protect the oceans, lakes and rivers,” said Jennifer Seney, Pasco County’s recycling coordinator. “More than 7.8 million people have removed more than 135 million pounds of trash from the shoreline since it started 25 years ago.”
The first Coastal Cleanup in Pasco was 23 years ago, according to Seney. About 500,000 volunteers removed 7.4 million pounds of trash around the world last year. This year in Pasco, the event will be from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 18.
The first inland event in Pasco was in Land O’ Lakes and its original organizers, Betsy Crisp and Kurt Conover, have participated in all 21 of them. Crisp said the Land O’ Lakes site has about 500 volunteers each year, making it the largest Pasco site.
“Last year, we picked up 6.25 percent (one ton) of the total 16.1 tons collected that day,” Crisp said. “We had 429 volunteers in 38 teams turn out, 30.5 percent of the 1,400 total volunteers county-wide.”
Before 1990, the cleanups were only on Pasco’s Gulf coast. At that time, Joanne Hurley was the county’s recycling coordinator and worked to bring the project inland to help the rivers and lakes.
“Before 1990 there were some attempts at cleanups inland, but they were isolated and we thought we needed to have a more comprehensive approach,” said Hurley, now a member of the Pasco County School Board.
Hurley said she still participates in Crisp’s cleanup, which was along Kent Grove Road in 2009. This year the Land O’ Lakes cleanup is along SR 54, along Collier Parkway and through Parkway Boulevard all the way to Ehren Cutoff. They will start at the corner of SR 54 and Osprey Lane.

Crisp has seen many strange things during the cleanups.
“Every year a new discovery,” Crisp said. “My favorite, the biggest haul of all time was brought in by my daughter’s junior Girl Scout troop. They discovered a huge pile of 18 semi-truck tires dumped off Parkway and refused to leave their treasure by the roadside for the county to pick up. They formed a caravan of cars and trucks to get them back to the drop-off site.
“My husband, Paul, usually mans the dumpster every year and remembers the rear bumper of a car, complete with license tag,” Crisp continued.
There is another central Pasco cleanup near Connerton led by Alex Murphy. For more information on the cleanup, call Seney at (727) 847-8041 or e-mail her at .
In Hillsborough the cleanups are a week later, Sept. 25, at the same time of day. Lutz has two sites, one at the Old Lutz Schoolhouse at 18819 N. US 41 and at Ramblewood Road at the entrance of Brooker Creek Preserve.
The cleanup at the schoolhouse brings several groups, including Boy and Girl Scouts, to clean up areas of Lutz along US 41. For more information on other Hillsborough sites or to sign up, visit www.khcbonline.org.
Seney said she participates in a Wesley Chapel cleanup near the interchange of I-75 and SR 54. This year the event is along Old Pasco Road and is organized by Jeff Pope.
“We get out there twice a year, in the fall during the Coastal Cleanup and in the spring for the Great American Cleanup,” Seney said. “One year we filled 56 bags of garbage from Overpass Road. Those were the 30 gallon trash bags and we did it three years ago. That’s the most I’ve seen.”
Also part of the Pasco cleanups is a collection for people to bring any type of odd metal they are trying to get rid of, including metal appliances, air conditioners, grills, shelves, cabinet and bed frames, bikes, tools, pipes and poles, insulated wire and lawn mowers. The collection is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 18 at Pasco Lakes, 9344 Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel.
The metal will be recycled to help pay for the 2010 Coastal Cleanup in Pasco. Also being collected are car, truck and tractor batteries to be safely recycled.

By B.C. Manion

It doesn’t take long to realize that A Cup of Organic, a coffee shop in Lutz, isn’t your typical place to get a cup of Joe or a fancy coffee drink.
There’s live music there three nights of the week, free wi-fi and the menu offers a selection of organic coffees, teas, smoothies, milkshakes, sandwiches, muffins, cupcakes, cookies and other pastry items.
It has a clean, contemporary feel – and a relaxed vibe.
It also wants to be more than a place where people rush through to get their morning java.

“We want to be the community coffee shop,” said J.D. Lane, one of the company’s five partners. “We don’t want to be a place where we’re simply in someone’s traffic pattern – they’re heading to work, they’re grabbing their morning coffee because they have to have it.”
They appreciate that kind of business, Lane said. However, he added: “We want to be the place where people want to come and actually hang out.”
The coffee shop, at 1900 Oak Grove Blvd., opened last month. It already seems to be gaining a following, and some of its house blends are emerging as its top sellers, Lane said.
Pete Davidson, another one of the partners, created some new coffee drinks.
One is called a Caramel Macchiato Dream – which features a layer of caramel, espresso sweetened with caramel, steamed milk and froth. It is finished with thin streams of caramel, which slide down the interior of the glass.
“That’s why he named it dream: It looks like something ethereal.” Lane said, of the drink, which sells for $3.15 for a small, $3.70 for a medium and $4 for a large.
Another popular Davidson creation is the House Special Vanilla Latte. That is served hot or cold and consists of organic espresso blended with organic milk, sugar and vanilla. It goes for $2.90, $3.40 and $3.90.
Serving organic food and drinks is not the only thing that makes this place different from its coffee shop counterparts.
This one has clear Christian overtones: Bible verses are proclaimed in bold letters and in tasteful frames on the coffee shop’s walls.
As part of its corporate culture, the company gives a portion of its proceeds from its online sales to select ministries and missions. It also has a collection box at the coffee shop, where patrons can make donations to a ministry or mission of the month.
Lane said he realizes not everyone shares the company partners’ beliefs, but they see the business as an answer to prayer and they feel compelled to offer expressions of praise.
“We felt like God brought us all together,” Lane said, referring to himself, Davidson and their other three partners, Juan Torres, Doug Torres and Glenn Deller.
While expressing their faith, they’re not trying to push it on others, Lane said.
“We don’t attempt to preach doctrine when people come in here. We’re not a church. We welcome everyone here,” he said.
The company got its start just a few months ago as an online business to sell coffee grown in Honduras to customers in the United States. The coffee is grown by the family of Juan Torres’ wife.
“We were going to be content doing that for awhile, then all of a sudden a local pastor approached us about this (coffee shop) location,” Lane said.
Lane, who is a business consultant, said he initially was reluctant to open a coffee shop. He understood the excitement of doing it, but knew that it would be tough.
So, he and his partners prayed about it.
They knew what the lease structure needed to be, in order for them to proceed with the coffee shop. They figured if they could get what they needed, they’d go for it. Otherwise, they’d stick to the online shop.
So far, just a few weeks after opening the shop, they’re already beginning to build a following, Lane said.
Last week, a band called Mizan, entertained a small, but appreciative crowd.
Peggy Sample-Summerhill, of Land O’ Lakes, was munching on a sweet while listening to the music. She said the strawberry shortcake cupcake was scrumptious.
Regena Everes, of Tampa Palms, was also listening to the band. She said the shop’s coffee is good. “It’s strong and dark.”
The live music is a big draw, especially on Fridays, Lane said. “We jam this place out. It’s wall to wall.”
It is mostly high school and young college kids, Lane said. “They seem to like this place as a safe, comfortable, hangout.”
There have been so many people there on a couple of recent Friday nights that the shop has stayed open until midnight — an hour beyond normal closing — to accommodate the crowd.
Eventually, the partners would like to replicate the concept elsewhere.
“I think it has shown itself to be very well-received,” Lane said. “It is unique.”
For more information, go to www.acupoforganic.com.